Imagine experiencing a medical emergency in a room full of people and no one steps forward to help save your life. In 2018 the Every Child A Lifesaver Coalition found that just 5% of people would feel knowledgeable, confident, and willing to act in an emergency situation where lifesaving first aid is needed. If more people had proper first aid training, this number could change exponentially. While many would have the instinct to call 999, in the eight minutes it takes for an ambulance to reach you the overwhelming majority of people would not have the first aid training necessary to step up and help save a life. 

 

First Aid is the initial help or assistance given to someone who is injured or ill up until the point that professional help arrives to take over or, the person recovers well enough to be discharged at the scene. There are three major types of first aid everyone should know how to give: Emergency first aid training, paediatric first aid training, and mental health first aid training. Depending on your work environment, some first aid training may be more crucial than others. 

First Aid Training in the Workplace 

Before 2020, first aid training was not required in schools across the UK. This means the majority of adults have not received proper first aid training and would not be able to aid a co-worker in an emergency situation. Waiting eight minutes for paramedics to arrive may not seem like too long of a time, but did you know choking can become fatal in just four minutes? Training co-workers to help one another can save the lives of your employees. 

 

There is more to first aid training than preparing for physical health emergencies in the workplace. Employers are becoming increasingly aware of how important it is to support the mental health of their employees. After all, a happy workplace is a productive workplace. Especially in a scenario where you are employing teenagers, you are responsible for the health and safety of the people you work with. Providing team members with mental health first aid training creates a more accepting and safer environment for everyone who works there. Giving people a safe space to talk about their mental health struggles and having trained employees to aid them in getting the help they need can save the lives of many who are struggling with their mental health. 

 

 

First aid can be something as simple as cleaning out a cut and applying a bandage, or as complex as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Some truly lifesaving first aid measures include: 

● Performing CPR when someone is unresponsive and not breathing. 

● Administering abdominal thrusts when someone is choking and struggling to breathe. 

● Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack or stroke and what to do when someone is experiencing them. 

 

Receiving paediatric first aid training is also imperative because the ways in which you aid a child in a life-threatening situation are different than how you would aid an adult. For example, you cannot perform abdominal thrusts on a choking baby under one year old. Meducate offers an entire course on paediatric first aid which covers every detail of providing lifesaving first aid to a child. This course is especially important for anyone working or living near children such as babysitters, teachers, and new parents. 

 

 

Meducate has been providing first aid training in Essex for over 10 years. We have trained over 30,000 people in mental health first aid, emergency first aid, and paediatric first aid through our courses. We also teach self-harm and ligature first aid courses in Colchester and all over England. With online courses, our market has expanded to international training in both the United States and Australia. 

 

Get in touch with us today to get more information on emergency assistance and first aid training in Essex. We offer training for both individuals and groups. Whether you are looking to improve the safety in your office or taking it upon yourself to be a more valuable asset to the community, we are here to help and support you. Book a spot in our first aid training course and let us help you change your organisation and community for the better..